


The Talk

by hungrydean



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Coda, Episode: s14e06 Optimism, M/M, Originally Posted on Tumblr, in which jack is basically the only well functioning adult and his three dads need help
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2018-11-17
Packaged: 2019-08-24 21:05:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16647767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hungrydean/pseuds/hungrydean
Summary: Jack embarks on a mission to better the bunker’s family dynamics after Dean gives him the talk. minor 14x06 spoilers.





	The Talk

Dean hadn’t really wanted to say yes to Jack. For a moment he’d thought about suggesting that Sam would explain it, as the idea of his brother explaining sex to Jack already made him chuckle to himself, but he hadn’t. It was stupid. Dean couldn’t deny that the only reason he was okay with giving Jack the talk was because Jack had asked _him._ He knew that he messed up with the kid before, several times, had had… mixed feelings about him and had put the blame of Cas’s death on the boy’s shoulders, and more. He’d been trying to get Jack to trust him again, he’d been trying to be better, nicer; to not be like his own father. And hell, Jack had two of the best dads the world could’ve given him, and Dean had been getting better at realizing what Jack needed. He was just a kid, but Dean had acted as if the boy was an adult and understood everything about the world. That had needed to change. So, sitting at the table, beer between his fingers, Dean had to stumble his way through explaining sex to a one-year-old adolescent. 

He’d gotten through the first half; how babies are born, what happens before all of that, that sometimes people don’t want a baby but do want to have sex... Dean had survived it fairly well. Maybe because Jack wasn’t aware of how uncomfortable it was for most parents to talk about this, it wasn’t as difficult. Jack just wanted to understand, and he’d trusted Dean enough to ask him about it- so Dean had to respect that. 

“Okay,” Jack said and Dean couldn’t help but notice his fingers traced his bottle similar to Dean’s. It seemed unconscious, however, because Jack was looking at the table with a small frown on his face. “I understand _how_ now, I think. But I assume it is something you must experience first before you fully get _why,_ because it just sounds very exhausting to me.” He chewed his bottom lip. “Did you ever have sex, Dean?” 

Dean hid his smile by taking a sip. 

“Yeah, yeah I did.” 

“Several times?” 

Dean nodded, trying not to think about how weird it was that Jack seemed impressed. 

“How about Sam?” 

He opened his mouth to answer, but hesitated. The part of him that hadn’t fully grown up yet took over. 

“No,” he said, shaking his head solemnly. “I know he’s never had sex before.”

Jack didn’t see through it. 

“And Cas?” 

Dean could’ve known that was coming and he turned serious again, and Jack seemed so intrigued—Dean was sure he would’ve taken notes if he had a pen and paper. 

“Cas did, yes.” Dean stared at his feet. “He didn’t for a very long time though, he told me.” 

“Oh.” Jack seemed relieved, “so it’s okay if I don’t do it yet soon but maybe later?” 

“Jack,” Dean leaned forward on the table and looked at him strictly. “You don’t _have_ to, okay? Whatever anyone else says or tells you, remember. If you don’t want to do anything, you say no. _Never_ have sex if you don’t want to. It should always be something you want.” 

Though Dean wasn’t sure if Jack understood everything completely yet, he seemed to understand the weight of Dean’s words. 

“I promise.” He said. 

“Good.” Dean finished his beer, put it back on the table and leaned into his chair. “Any questions?” 

“Many.” That _wasn’t_ the answer Dean had wanted to hear, but well, he’d gone through the hardest part already. He spread his arms to his sides. 

“This is your chance buddy. Ask away.” 

Jack certainly did. There were several that were easy to answer, some that were more complicated than Jack had probably assumed. Dean was sure to state very clearly that it wasn’t just for a guy and a girl, which was the first moment he could feel his own blush warming his cheeks and ears. It was something close to home. Talking about women and having sex with them in the past was fine, he didn’t feel ashamed, but the things he’d been wanting to explore, the guy in particular that he’d been maybe sort of fantasizing about _was_ one of Jack’s father figures, after all, and when Dean tried to explain how the whole sexual orientation thing worked, he found it hard not to refer to “I” and “me”. But Jack either sensed something or just wanted to know _everything_ he could be told, because he did raise the question if _Dean_ had ever wanted to have sex with guys. He found himself unable to lie. 

“But I don’t… Sam doesn’t know, so eh—I’d appreciate if you wouldn’t, y’know… mention it or anything.” 

“Why not?” Jack frowned, “I thought you said it’s okay.” 

“It is,” Dean said quickly, wringing his hands. “I just… I don’t know. It kinda feels weird to talk about, I guess.” His cheeks were still warm. “It’s so personal. I just don’t like the topic and I try to, uh, y’know, keep that kinda stuff to myself.” 

“Ah.” Jack was still playing with his empty beer bottle. “That’s what most people do when it comes to sex anyway, I have noticed. Which is odd. People talk about love a _lot_ , but not about sex.” 

“It’s not the same.” Dean was glad the topic had steered away from the very dangerous part; Dean’s interest in dudes. He hoped he wouldn’t have to tell him everything—he’d rather not crush the boy’s positive view on love. “Some people have sex but don’t love each other. Some people love each other but don’t have sex.” 

Jack hummed, though he seemed to find it difficult to grasp. At that moment Sam walked in and the conversation ended quite abruptly. Dean kept thinking about the things he’d said himself. It _was_ alright, he’d told Jack and he believed it. And yet telling people was something different. It was so… _formal._ He didn’t want to go through that. Especially when Cas got back home and Dean was around him, teasing him as usual, simply enjoying the angels’ company, he sometimes caught Jack watching him, that curious look on his face, as if he _knew._ But that was ridiculous- how could he know? 

A few hours later, Jack and Dean were alone in the kitchen (that is, Dean had been alone until Jack peeked his head through the door and entered when he saw Dean). 

“Dean?” He asked, and Dean hummed in answer as he poked his head in the fridge. “I hadn’t properly thanked you yet, so I wanted to. I… understand it might not be a topic you enjoy talking about that much. Thank you.” 

Dean chuckled softly. 

“Ain’t a problem. Glad I could help. And uh, if you ever have some more questions, feel free. I got a few flirting tricks up my sleeve, too, in case you need ‘em.” He winked and Jack smiled shyly. 

“I uh… had one more question.” He shuffled with his feet, hands tugged in his jeans. “How… how exactly do you know you’re in love?” 

Dean closed the fridge and took a deep breath.

“That’s not always something you _know_. Sometimes it hits you, sometimes it comes gradually. Takes time, though. Some people think you can love someone right away, but honestly, I think it needs some time.” 

“And then?” 

“You… You might think someone’s attractive. You like the way they look, but you also like the way they _are._ What they say and do, but also small things. Like the way one strand of hair falls differently or the small bump on their nose. You appreciate them being them, even if you argue sometimes or get frustrated if they don’t get your jokes.” The words wouldn’t stop, this had been inside him for a long time. “But I think it’s also because they changed you in a way. Or the way you see things, or experience them. Like… you can enjoy spending time with a lot of people if the weather’s great and things are good. But if you really _love_ someone, you wouldn’t mind spending the bad days with them, you don’t mind sharing your fears or problems. You see their worst, the part that they _hate_ about themselves… and you stick around anyway.” 

Dean didn’t know how it had gone from ‘Sex Education With The Devil’s Offspring’ to ‘Exposing How I Feel About Your Angel Dad’, but here he was, fiddling with his hands and blushing like a kid. He worried he’d said too much and freaked Jack out, but the boy just nodded and sat down.

“Huh.” Jack was quiet for a while. “So… Does that- does that mean that you are… in love with Cas?” He frowned. “Yes, I think you are.” 

“I—” Dean began. 

“Do you also want to have sex with him?” 

“Jack, that—that is very personal. You can’t just _ask_ if someone wants to… you don’t just… That isn’t something you can- I mean, it’s not… You can’t—Yeah, you’re right.” 

Jack frown slowly turned into a wide, goofy grin, and he jumped up to his feet, looking at Dean in excitement. “Awesome. I’ll go tell him!” 

Before he could take a step Dean had already grabbed his arm. “No!” He pulled him away from the door. “No, you don’t. You don’t tell him or Sam or anyone, okay?” 

“I… oh, right. Personal. I… I’m sorry,” Jack said, nodding wisely. “But what about… why can’t Cas know? It’s a good thing. And if he doesn’t know, you can’t kiss him _or_ have sex with him.” 

“ _Stop_ talking about me and Cas having sex, that’s… weird. I don’t tell him because I’m… afraid that he doesn’t feel the same ‘n all. It’d just be awkward.” 

“You should tell him.” Jack decided after a moment of thinking. “Because I think he does, y’know…” Jack lowered his voice conspiratorially, “…want to have sex with you.” Just when Dean opened his mouth to reply, Cas appeared in the door. 

“My apologies, I can go.” He said, squinting at Dean’s hand on Jack’s shoulder. 

“Oh no, Dean has to speak with you anyway.” Jack said and stepped away. “Thank you, Dean. And good luck.” He showed two thumbs, then rushed past Cas into the hall. 

“What was that about?” Cas frowned and looked at where Jack had gone. “And what did you need to see me for?” 

“Oh, eh—nothing really.” Dean laughed nervously, not even fooling himself. “I uh, y’know… Jack had some questions about… stuff, and we talked and… so yeah.” 

“…I don’t think I follow.” Alarm bells went off in Dean’s head as Cas stepped closer to him, looked at him with so much pure, honest interest. “What did you talk about?” 

“Oh, y’know…” Dean waved it off, then hid his face by opening the fridge again and getting out two beers this time. “How babies are born, that kinda thing. He had some questions about love and all.” He was glad to be busy with his hands, taking off the lids and gliding one beer over the counter to Cas. “They grow up so fast, don’t they?” 

Cas took the bottle and even chuckled shortly, letting Dean’s heart race even faster. “And you had to speak to me because…?” He looked at Dean as he drank. Dean could see the way he swallowed down the beer, stared at the way Cas gripped the bottle, knuckles firm… 

“I…” _Shit._ He couldn’t do it. _Not like this._ “I don’t know, really. Maybe he thinks you need some sex ed as well?” _God_ , he hoped that sounded as light as he’d intended. Cas squinted at him, noticing the joke, but he kept it at that. Dean tried to hide his relief and wandered back to the library with Cas behind him. Sam was there and Dean calmed down after a few minutes.

Though the words kept nagging him, Jack’s enthusiasm seemed to have sparked something within Dean himself. If he didn’t tell Cas, he would keep suffering like this. He wanted more, _wanted_ to tell and show him… But it wasn’t as easy as Jack said. Dean drank his beer in silence, and wondered how long he could continue to fool himself. 

The answer was, quite long, in fact. Old habits were hard to replace, and Dean wallowed in the safety of his silence. Jack was surprisingly good at keeping the secret, though he had been disappointed when Dean told him he hadn’t said anything yet. He’d had to tell Jack to _stop_ coming up with ways to tell Cas, ‘because it ain’t happening, kid’. Dean couldn’t stop thinking Jack was more mature about it than Dean himself. But what was he supposed to do? Just walk up to Cas and tell him how he felt? 

*** 

Jack knew he would be busy these days. He’d made a list of things to do, and it was a long list. The first thing was ‘Talk to Cas’, which was what he was about to do right now. This talk could change everything else on his list, but he was confident that his thoughts were correct. He’d listened to Dean and had done a lot of research online, and he was almost convinced that Cas was also in love with Dean. All he had to do now was to be entirely, completely sure. If he was going to be fully professional about this, he needed to have proof, not just a hypothesis. Cas was easier to talk to—for Jack, at least. He understood Cas more than most seemed to. Jack figured it was because he was half angel, too. He found his private moment with Cas as they drove to the supermarket together. Jack really liked doing groceries—it included checking off lists, and he also loved the amount of products, wandering around the aisles and shelves and observing everything. _Focus._ He had more important things to do. 

“Can I ask you something?” He said, mentally repeating the conversation he’d planned. 

“Of course, Jack. What is it?” 

“How do you know when you’re in love?” He asked and made sure it didn’t sound too practiced. Cas didn’t seem to notice. He squinted as he thought. Jack watched him as he drove—he really wanted to learn how to drive himself. Cas looked weirdly human behind the wheel, and Jack wondered if he would look so human and confident, too. 

“I think it is very different for each person and creature,” Cas started, “-that is, if the creature is capable of love. Not even all humans are capable of it. And then I think it comes down to how much you want to protect and stand by someone’s side. How much you’re willing to risk or give up to stay with that person. How important they are for you to live, or if they are worth more than things you thought most important before you met them.” 

“Ah.” Jack nodded slowly. “So… uhm,” he hoped he wasn’t going too far, but in his mind the next question seemed logical enough. “Have you ever been in love?” 

Cas didn’t reply right away. Maybe it was because he was parking. Jack thought parking seemed like a very difficult and special skill; he wondered if there were any tricks you learned to do it as swiftly as Dean could. Cas seemed very careful not to make any scratches on the car. Cas only replied after he’d turned off the engine. 

“It’s… complicated.” He said, staring out into the parking lot. “Come on, we have groceries to do.” 

Jack was glad to have a backup plan. He wandered around with Cas and darted off to get the jam or specific brand of beer that Dean liked to drink, got distracted by honey in a bottle shaped like a bear, but eventually came back to Cas and tried again. 

“Did you know that children whose parents have a healthy, honest, and positive relationship are happier than children whose parents’ relationship isn't sturdy?” 

“Sounds logical enough,” Cas commented, “where did you hear that?” 

“I saw statistics on Wikipedia. It’s a _very_ useful site, you should check it out. I also did more research. Here, I found…” He grabbed the notebook that he’d stuffed in his pocket and flipped to the page, reading aloud what he’d written down as he walked alongside Cas, who was looking at cheese. “Using latent growth curve and fixed effects models, they found that parents’ greater supportiveness has a slight association with lower levels of children’s behavioral problems. Using cross-lagged structural equation models to examine the direction of the association, they also found some evidence that parents’ relationship quality and children’s behavioral problems are reciprocally related.” 

Cas was quiet as he picked out a package of cheese and put it in the cart. He eyed Jack. 

“And with all this you want to say…”

“You and Dean should go on a date!” He blurted, but he nodded, as he _was_ sure that it was true. “Or something similar. Listen, you are sort of my parents after all, and I think that all of us would highly benefit from a stable relationship between you and Dean. With that I mean dating and kissing and sex, but only if you want it, though.” 

“Jack—” 

“Why not? _Do_ you want to? I mean, I—I thought at least the dating might make you happy, perhaps.” When Cas didn’t meet his eyes, Jack was afraid he’d gone too far, like with Dean when he got excited about telling Cas. He tried to understand everything as much as possible, but some things were still confusing to him. But instead of getting angry, Cas smiled. 

“You keep surprising me with how intelligent you are, Jack.” Jack could feel the pride in him grow and he couldn’t hide the grin that spread on his face. Cas walked along the shelves and picked up the groceries they needed, talking softly so only Jack could hear him. “I think I… would enjoy going on a date with Dean, yes. There has always been something different between us, but I never knew if it was the human equivalent of _love_. And then when I was on earth long enough to see that it was, I’d also been on earth too long not to feel scared and worried about it. So I hid it.”

“But you should tell Dean. I mean, you can’t hide it _forever_.” 

Cas’s face told Jack that he was actually determined to just that. He said something about having to accept that not all things are meant to be, but Jack was already going through his checklist in his mind. When they got back in the car, Jack quickly checked the first box. 

He finished the other preparations by the next evening. Adulting wasn’t that difficult after all. Jack felt pretty good about himself, knowing that he’d done all of it on his own for the benefit of everyone else. He’d made _sure_ Sam would stay away from Cas’s bedroom and had with a vague excuse been able to lead Dean towards it. Though he had plenty of wild, way more long-term ideas, he felt like having them alone would be enough to get them to talk. Though Dean had tried to back out when he realized what Jack was up to, Jack had been able to push him inside and close the door. Satisfied, he took out his notebook and ticked off the box. There was only one thing left to do. 

***

Dean was sure he’d never felt more awkward in his entire life. Cas was standing in front of him squinting at the just closed door and Dean couldn’t feel his knees. _God, he really needed to get a grip on himself._

“Uh, hey.” He said, cringing mentally. “So… Jack’s been doing research. Guess he eh… wanted us to meet?” 

Cas sighed and nodded. Dean, though nervously, sat down next to him on the bed. 

“So… I, eh… I don’t know—” Dean began, but he couldn’t find the right words. _How did you start a conversation like this?_ “Dammit, I’m sorry,” he exclaimed. Burying his face in his hands, he knew there was no pretending there was nothing going on. “I’m just really bad at this, Cas, I’m sorry.” 

“Dean,” Cas said gently and put his hand on Dean’s knee. Dean looked at him, Cas’s eyes calm, accepting and understanding. “It’s okay. I… don’t really know what to say, either. Jack turns out to be better at this than either of us.” 

He smiled encouragingly. 

“What… uhm- what exactly did he tell you?” Dean had soon realized Jack had talked to Cas, but he hadn’t been able to find out what, as Jack wouldn’t tell him and he’d been too scared to ask Cas. 

“He… told me that according to Wikipedia, it would be beneficial if we have sex.”

Dean choked on his breath.

“Wait… what, he… Wikipedia?” 

Dean had barely ever seen Cas nervous, but he recognized it now; the shuffling of his feet, the swallowing, the clearing of his throat before he spoke.

“I mean, it’s not something that you must do, of course, Jack just suggested it because he thought it would make us happy as he’d read something about healthy parenting, but of course it doesn’t apply if you don’t want to, you know…” 

_Fuck, no, Cas, wrong direction._

“Hey,” Dean said and stopped Cas mid-sentence. “I just- hadn’t expected him to find such things on Wikipedia of all places.” Though his cheeks seemed to be on fire and he could feel his nerves storming, he smiled, breathlessly. Cas, hesitantly, smiled back. 

“Oh.” Cas blinked. “So… you- would be okay with, you know, the part about us having sex?” 

_This really wasn’t how Dean had planned his confession to go_. 

“Y-yeah,” He managed. “If you are too.” 

Cas nodded slowly. They looked at each other in silence for a moment, both excited and heavily embarrassed. Eventually Dean looked away, trying to break through the uncomfortable silence that followed. 

“Dammit, this should’ve been _way_ more like, romantic or whatever,” He half cursed, half apologized.

“Well, most of the time, things like this officially start with a date of some sort.” Cas pointed out. “So… maybe we can try that?” Dean wasn’t looking at him, but he suddenly felt Cas’s fingers on his. It didn’t feel odd, so Dean let their fingers tangle together and squeezed Cas’s hand softly. Why was he so nervous? It was Cas, after all. He’d been able to tell Cas everything, and even in this moment he still felt a sense of comfort from simply being around him. And despite this probably being the most embarrassing moment of his life, he honestly didn’t mind going through it with Cas.

“Yeah,” he looked back up with new confidence and determination. “That’s a great idea.” 

“Excellent.” Cas reached for his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper, He unfolded it with one hand and showed it to Dean. “Jack made us a list.” 

***

Dean woke up slowly. It took him a few seconds to realize where he was, and that the warmth pressing against him was _Cas,_ but his face spread into a lazy, wide grin once he remembered the night before. Going on a date with Cas had definitely been a good idea. Once they’d gotten over their first embarrassment, it simply just felt like _them._ How they’d always been, just more openly showing how happy they were about it. And then their first kiss, at a fountain on a plaza late at night, which had made them feel like an actual couple, and they’d walked home holding hands and feeling like they could take on the world. And now Cas lay pressed up close against him, his face nuzzled into Dean’s bare chest. His hair brushed against Dean’s cheek. Dean closed his eyes and simply enjoyed the sound of Cas’s steady breath, his hand wrapped around Cas’s waist. 

The moment ended several minutes later when Sam came bursting through the door. 

“Why in the _world_ does Jack think I’ve never had sex before?! Dean, what did you tell- _oh_.” 

Dean could’ve been shocked, but instead, he laughed. He laughed at the way Sam looked, a mix of anger, confusion and surprise. Cas hummed at the sound but only pulled closer. Sam eventually smiled, though he promised Dean he wouldn’t forget. He left them alone again, muttering something to himself. 

_It seems,_ Dean thought as he pulled Cas closer _, Jack isn’t the only one who learned something about love._


End file.
